1. Field
Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of counterbalance mechanisms; and more specifically, to spring force counterbalance mechanisms with failure detection.
2. Background
In load positioning systems the effects of gravity on the load may be compensated for with a spring counterbalance. Failures of the spring counterbalance may cause the load to move, which may be an undesirable failure mode. The reliability of a spring counterbalance may be increased by introducing redundancy in the mechanism so that a single failure does not leave the load unbalanced. However, a failure in a redundant system may go unnoticed leaving the system without protection of the redundant element.
It would be desirable to provide a redundant structure for a spring force counterbalance mechanism that detects failures of the redundant elements.